Lexington Peet's employee arraigned in car fire case

Tuesday

May 15, 2018 at 3:52 PMMay 15, 2018 at 7:44 PM

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Lexington Chief of Police Mark Corr report that Mustafa Syed, 50, of Lexington was arraigned yesterday in Concord District Court, according to a press release from Ryan’s office. Syed is charged with larceny from a building, breaking into a depository, larceny under $1,200 and burning of a motor vehicle in connection with allegedly setting fire to his manager’s car and stealing $800 from his employer, Peet’s Coffee.

Judge Lynn Coffin Brendameuhl ordered the defendant held on $7,500 bail and ordered the defendant, if he posts bail, to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, stay away from, and have no contact with, the victim and to stay away from Peet’s Coffee in Lexington.

On Thursday, May 10 at approximately 5:06 p.m. Lexington Police responded to a parking lot located at 1749 Massachusetts Ave. in Lexington after a report a vehicle, a Honda Accord, was engulfed in flames. Upon arrival officers also located a second vehicle, a van, which had sustained some fire damage. Officers on scene allegedly observed the door of the Accord was open and deemed the fire suspicious.

Police subsequently obtained surveillance video from area businesses that allegedly showed the defendant purchasing a lighter at CVS Pharmacy at 4:57 p.m. Additional video surveillance allegedly showed the defendant entering the parking lot shortly before the fire was reported and allegedly crouching by the vehicle before it becomes engulfed in flames.

The defendant was later identified as an employee of Peet’s Coffee.

On May 11, 2018 the victim called Lexington Police to report $800 was missing from the safe inside Peet’s Coffee. A review of surveillance video from inside the store allegedly showed the defendant accessing the safe the previous day.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The investigation into this matter, including any possible motive is still open and ongoing. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Lexington Police, Massachusetts State Police and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are all investigating the case.